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  1. Notes

Naval Combat

Rules

Determine the direction each ship is facing, and the direction/speed of the wind. The most upwind ship attempts to Claim The Weather Gauge (DC 20 Profession Sailor). if successful, that ship positions to be in way that will let him attempt to take advantage of the wind (aka: turn). If this check is failed, they cannot try again until another ship gains and then loses it (aka: the other ship overtakes theirs but then fails to keep it, it’s rare to lose the gauge though). To steal the gauge, move your ship so that you’re upwind (whether via magic or moving with the wind) and attempt a DC 25 Profession (sailor) check to steal it. If successful, he gains all bonuses but initiative.

  • Effects of “Getting the Gauge”
  • All officers aboard the ship gain a +2 circumstance bonus to their Naval Initiative checks.
  • The ship gains a +2 Speed bonus. 
  • The maneuverability rating of a ship with the gauge increases by one step.
  • Finally, all attacks made by the ship gain a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls. 
    • These bonuses last for the duration of the encounter or until another ship steals the weather gauge; the Navigator need not continue to make Profession (sailor) checks to keep these bonuses.

Roll twice for initiative (once with dex for regular initiative (spells, attacks, etc) and once with charisma (naval actions as determined by role) 

  • Might change this and combine the ‘naval initiatives’ into one ‘ship initiative’, where the PCs get an additional 'naval action' on their turn, the results of which will take effect on the Ship Initiative turn, if this proves to be too much of a hassle.

Follow initiative like normal! Now including the Naval Roles! Determine Weather Gauge changes before starting the next round, though.

Capturing & Selling Ships

One of the greatest prizes available for a ship’s crew is the capture of an enemy ship. An enemy may surrender if put into an untenable position, or it may be slaughtered to the last man during a bloody boarding action. In either case, the conquered ship becomes spoils of war to the victors.

Making the ship seaworthy: There are two parts to making sure your prize makes it back to port: ensuring that she does not sink en route, and having the crew to sail her. No doubt the ship has taken a beating during the fight and may be taking on water. This state of affairs needs to be fixed before the ship ends up at the bottom of the ocean! Secondly, you must have sufficient crew to man its rigging in order to sail it back to safe harbor.

Permanent Repairs: Buyers will usually not purchase a damaged ship, and you will have to repair it before a sale can be made. This is an expensive proposition if she is riddled with shot from prow to stern.

Sale: Generally you receive half the build price of a ship when you sell it. However, there are three kinds of buyers looking to purchase used ships: navies, pirates, and merchants. If all three of these are non-hostile towards you, you receive a 10% bonus to the amount you receive. If only one of these is non-hostile towards you, you receive a 10% penalty on the amount you receive. If all of these groups are hostile towards you, you may not sell your ship.

Shares: A ship’s crew expects to receive a share of the prize. If a Captain keeps more than eight shares or other leaders receive more than four shares, a crew’s Loyalty is reduced by 2.


January 30th, 2021

Capturing Crew

Captured crew can also turn a profit for a victorious Captain, either garnering a ransom, bounty, or golden coins from the grubby hands of a slaver.

Care of Prisoners: A loyal crewmen can guard up to five prisoners without problems. If the number of guards falls below this ratio there is a 25% chance each day that the prisoners escape. Prisoners must be fed at the rate of 1 sp/ day or else they starve. 

Payment: A prisoner may be ransomed back to his peers, turned in for a bounty to his enemies, or sold into slavery. A ransom or bounty is equal to ten times the prisoner’s daily rate of pay. The GM decides whether or not the prisoner has loyal associates or wealthy enemies willing to pay a ransom or bounty. Particularly important or notorious prisoners may demand a larger figure as determined by the GM. Slavers will pay 10gp for each healthy specimen. Selling slaves is an evil act. 

A crew expects a share of the rewards from prisoners as explained in Capturing Ships.

January 30th, 2021